Wire-line wrench and method of making same.



W. T. *HERRICK. WIRE LINE WRENCH AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26, l9l5.

Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

WITNESSES ATTO R N EY rare WILLIAM T. HERRICK, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

"WIRE-LINE WRENCH AND METl-IGD OF MAKING SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @ct. 26, 1915.

Application filed. April 26, 1915. Serial No. 24,084.

10 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, l VILLIAM T. Hnniujcn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tulsa, in the county of Tulsa and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful ire-Line lVrcnch and Method of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to wrenches for wire lines or cables employed in deep well drilling and to the method of making the wrenches, and its object is to provide a wrench which may be applied to the cable without in any manner injuring the latter, while at the same time providing a firm grip and which furthermore is readily adapted to cables of different diameters.

The wire line wrench is a tool used in connection with well drilling and is employed to impart to the line a suitable number of back twists after the load has been placed upon the line, so as to keep the line from kinking or buckling and thereby giving trouble while working.

It has heretofore been the custom to e1nploy a pipe wrench for turning a wire line or cable, but such a tool is very injurious to the cable, which latter is made of twisted wire strands, and the teeth of the pipe wrench are apt to bite into the wire strands and by twisting and cutting them seriously injure the line.

By the present invention there is provided a wrench stock of great ease of manipulation, and the jaws are so formed as to receive a lining of soft material such as Babbitt metal that can be readily molded to the line. This molding can be performed at short notice so that without material loss of time the wrench stock is adapted to the particular size and type of wire line or cable employed at the time. Babbitt metal is, of course, much softer than the steel from which the cable is constr icted and since the molded gripping surfaces conform very closely to the contour of the cable, the latter is firmly and evenly gripped without any possibility of injury. The firm grip thereby insured permits the operator to twist the cable with certainty with the complete elimination of injury of any kind to the cable itself.

Not only is the present invention particularly adapted for twisting the cable during the operation of drilling, but it may also be used for twisting wire lines or cables in splicing them.

flhe invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following de- '1 ig. 2 is a plan view of the wrench shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. at is a section on the line l4.-. of Fig. 2 with the wrench jaws in the open position.

Referringto the drawings there is shown a wrench comprising two jaws 1 and 2. The jaw 1 is provided with spaced ears 3 atone side and the jaw 2 has an intermediate ear 4 adapted to lodge between the ears 3. The two jaws are connected together by a pintle 5 traversing the ears 3 and 4. To limit opening movements of the jaws the ear i has a lug 6 formed thereon adapted to engage the jaw 1 when the two jaws have been opened to a predetermined extent.

The jaw l at the side remote from the ears 8 is formed with a closely associated pair of spaced ears 7 between which is pivoted at one end a handle 8 of appropriate length, the pivoting being by means of a pivot pin 9 traversing the ears 7 and handle 8. The pivot pin 9 traverses the handle 8 quite close to one end and projecting from such end is a lug 10.

The jaw 2 is of such length as to close against the jaw 1 and this aw 2 is provided on the side remote from the hinge pintle 5 with a nose 11 of a length to reach 'close to the ears 7 and this nose has a central recess 12 so situated that the lug or projection 10 will fit into the recess when the jaws are brought together and the handle 8. is appropriately rocked for the purpose. When the handle 8 is about on a line with the jaws, although displaced to one side of the meeting edges of the jaws when the latter are closed, the lug 10 is in such engagement with the nose 11 and is so seated in the recess 12 that the jaws are firmly held together by the preponderance of leverage on the handle 8.

The jaws 1 and 2 where meeting have flat faces 13 and 1 1, respectively. The face 13 of the jaw 1 is provided with a longitudinal recess or channel 15 shown as of approximately semi-circular crosssection but such particular cross-section is not obligatory. The jaw 2 has a similar recess or channel 16. Leading from each channel 15 and 16 is a suitable number of sockets one of which is shown in full lines at 17 in Fig. 4: and leading into the channel 15 is a gate 18 opening at the outer face of the respective jaw.

. The outer faces of the two jaws 1 and 2 are depressed,eas shown at 19 and 20, respectively.

The channels 15 and 16 have end walls21 each with a centralized recess 22, so that when the jaws are together the two recesses 22 match and form an entrance to thematching channels of a size to accommodate the largest rope or cable for which the wrench isadapted. \Vhen the wrench is prepared for use, a section of the cable with which it is to be employed is lodged in the recesses or channels 15 and 16 with the jaws closed ard then the Babbitt metal is poured into the space between the cable and the walls of the channels in the jaws 1 and 2, as indicated at 23 and 24, respectively, thereby providing gripping surfaces 25 in practically exact conformity to the surface contour of the cable and also forming lugs 26 entering the sockets 17 wherever the latter occur. lVhen the Babbitt metal has hardened each jaw has anchored therein a gripping face or block conforming with such exactitude to the surface contour of the cable that when the jaws are closed and the handle is moved to bring pressure upon the jaws against the cable the latter is evenly gripped at all points and may be twisted to any extent desired without any injury whatever to the cable." This firm gripping does not even tend to displace the separate strands of the cable. 7 Each strand is backed up by a closely fitting portion of the gripping surface and such gripping surface being of a softer metal than the steel wire of which the cable is formed does not in any manner cut or injure the wire strands. Whenever it is desired to fit the wrenchto a cable of some other size the Babbitt metal facings are readily removed and a new set is cast about the cable into practically exact conformity thereto. 7 I

It is an important feature of this inven tion that the gripping faces of the wrench are in'practical conformity with the contour of the cable, are of a softer material, and are readily renewable or replaceable, whereby a single wrench may be used for various sizes of cables with the assurance that the cable will be snugly fitted and will be in no wise injured, though more firmly gripped than is possible with an ordinary pipe wrench.

What is claimed is 1. A wire-line or cable wrench provided with channeled jaws and soft metal liners anchored in the channels in the jaws and having gripping faces in the form of intaglio fac-similes of the surface of the wire cable to be gripped.

2. A wire-line or cable wrench composed of two jaws pivoted together with their meeting portions channeled and the channels provided with sockets, and soft metal liners lodged in the channels with anchoring lugs entering the sockets, said liners having gripping faces in the form of intaglio fac-similes of the surface of the wire cable to be gripped.

3. A wire-line or cable wrench having cable engaging aws with their engaging faces each formed with associated spiral grooves and ridges constituting an intaglio facsimile of the surface of the cable to be gripped by the jaw.

1. A wire-line or cable wrench having cable gripping jaws provided with cast softmetal gripping inserts each having its gripping face in the form of a negative facsimile of so much of the surface conformation of the cable as corresponds to the area of the gripping surface of the insert.

5. A wire-line or cable wrench provided with jaws having gripping portions of soft metal cast in the jaws in anchoring relation thereto and in conformity with the surface of the cable to be gripped.

6. The method of forming the gripping faces of the jaws of a wire line or cable wrench in close conformity with the surface of the wire cable, which consists in casting soft metal into each jaw against the surface of the wire cable to be gripped while said cable has the same relation to the jaw as it has when being gripped.

7. The method of producing soft metal liners for a wire-line or cable wrench, which consists in casting soft metal into each jaw of the wrench against the surface of the cable while the latter is in the same relation to the jaw that it has when the wrench is gripping the cable, with the soft metal entering sockets in the jaws to anchor the liners therein.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

lVILLIAM T. HERRICK.

Vitnesses:

PHILIP KA'rns, ETI-IEL K. CrnLnnRs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

